Recalibrate
by TheFictionalMe
Summary: Sometimes the best love is the one we didn't see coming. Or, the fanfic about the 6B trailer shower scene that we all needed. Scalia/Scolia. 6B spoilers/speculation. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, I had WAY too many feels after the 6B trailer came out, so I had to put some of them here. I loved Scallison (OTP!) and Scira was adorbs...but if Scalia is really happening in 6B, then Sign. Me. UP!**

 **Rated M. You all know why.**

 **Little bit of whump too because I can't resist.**

 **Please enjoy and jump on this trash train with me!**

 **Fictional**

* * *

Everything hurt.

Malia limped slowly up the stairs behind Scott, a heavy silence lingering between them. Neither of them had the energy to say anything at the moment. His back and shoulders were stiff, both from the losing battle they had just fought and the weight of the world on his shoulders.

After the night they had just had, neither of them wanted to be alone. They hadn't even exchanged words, she had just followed him back to his house, and he hadn't asked or even questioned it.

That was just a sign of how far gone they both were at this point, relying on each other to get through the current mess of their lives.

Malia sighed heavily as they rounded the corner into his bedroom, exhaustion settling into her bones. Here they were, all about to start their lives and get the heck out of Beacon Hills, to go away to college and be semi-normal, but of course they couldn't get just one more moment of peace before everything went to hell again.

New hunters with bigger weapons and a bigger agenda, and some sort of unstoppable monster that they had somehow inadvertently released when facing down the Ghost Riders, turning everything and everyone against them.

And that wasn't even to mention all the things the damn Nemeton was _still_ attracting to Beacon Hills.

Scott paused in the middle of his room, turning around to face her. She grimaced at all of the blood and grime covering him after their most recent close call, and she could tell from the expression on his face that she didn't look any better.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, for maybe the thousandth time since the fight in the preserve had ended hours earlier.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied, furrowing her brows at him concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded, but Malia didn't miss the clenching of his jaw. He was in obvious pain, and not just from his healing injuries.

"They're going to be okay, Scott," she stepped towards him, reaching over and gripping his hand like a lifeline without a second thought, squeezing tight so he knew she was there, that she had his back, no matter what. She might not always be great with the right words, but she could let him know through a look, a touch, that she was still with him through this.

This last battle hadn't been without casualties of war. Parrish and Brett were still missing, and Theo was presumed dead, although Malia was having mixed feelings on that one, no matter how hard he had tried to redeem himself. She knew that Scott felt the same way.

Lydia was in the hospital with some broken ribs as Stiles hovered anxiously at her side, blatantly ignoring the fact that he most likely had a concussion himself. Liam was still unconscious and Derek wasn't in much better shape, but at least Deaton had them at the clinic now and was looking after them, with Hayden's help. Peter was God knows where, and Malia was trying really hard to convince herself she didn't care.

In short, it had been a rough night for the whole pack.

The only small mercies were that Melissa was safe at the hospital with Mason and Corey for now, and the Sheriff at the station, while they all anxiously awaited for Argent to break his radio silence from behind enemy lines with whatever intel he had managed to obtain. And at least Henry, the man Malia _knew_ as her father, was still out of town on a hunting trip and away from the danger.

Malia could smell the distress rolling off of Scott at the current state of their pack. His eyes met hers, filled with a mixture of anger and guilt. "But it's my fault, Malia. Our friends, everyone we care about, are going to get killed...because of me." His eyes turned downward, looking anywhere but her face.

"It's not your fault," she said admanatly, stepping closer to him and forcing him to look back at her. "You didn't cause this. This is no one's fault but _theirs,"_ she emphasized, referring to their new enemies. "You can't blame yourself, Scott."

"They're my responsibility. I'm supposed to protect them," he shook his head miserably. "I was barely able to protect you."

Malia scoffed, arching an eyebrow at him. "I don't need you to protect me. I can handle myself."

"Trust me, I know," he replied with a knowing look. "But that doesn't mean I won't try. I can't let anyone else get hurt."

 _Well of course,_ Malia thought to herself, _that's Scott mantra, after all_.

"You can't protect everyone," she reassured him, trying for a gentler tone this time. "But you can't stop fighting either. We _can't_ let them win."

Scott's eyes flashed red momentarily as he looked back up at her, and she felt some relief at seeing the familiar determination return to his gaze instead of defeat. "I won't. _We_ won't." He laced both of their hands together then, squeezing her fingers back in a tight grip.

Malia gave him a wry smile. "Now that's more like it."

He smiled at her, a _real_ smile this time, before it quickly fell back to a frown as he examined the slowly healing head wound at her hairline. He reached up and gently fingered the wound. "Does this still hurt?"

"Not that bad anymore," she reassured him, but she couldn't hide a wince when she moved, testing out her sore leg. "Everything's healing, just taking a little while."

He nodded in understanding, but the concerned look didn't leave his eyes as he studied her carefully. She swallowed thickly, forcing her heartbeat to stay steady when he looked at her like that.

Something she had had to keep doing more and more around Scott lately. Malia wasn't sure exactly when or even _how_ , but somewhere in between fighting the Ghost Riders and saving Stiles and Beacon Hills...something between them had shifted.

At first, she had been afraid to know what that meant...because it was Scott. _Scott._ Her Alpha. One of her best friends. Her ex-boyfriend's best friend. Her long gone friend's ex-boyfriend.

But as time went on and as they were currently running for their lives at every turn, Malia was finding that didn't matter that much to her anymore. Not to mention, Stiles and Lydia were together now, and although it still hurt a little bit to see them together, he had moved on and so had she. She had learned a lot in the short time that she had been human again, and she knew now that although Stiles would always be important to her in some way, they weren't right for each other in the long run, and she could be happy for him and Lydia. And she was.

She also was pretty sure Stiles wouldn't care if he knew the direction her and Scott were headed in, because all he'd really want was for them to be happy too. The problem was, she wasn't sure Scott knew that, at least not yet, because he always liked to put everyone else's happiness before his own.

She knew that Scott had finally made peace with the fact that Kira wasn't coming back, probably ever, so he could finally let go. Although Malia couldn't help wonder sometimes that if Allison were still alive, if Scott would still be waiting for her. But life was too short to hold onto broken promises and empty dreams, and with the lives they lived, having second chances was never a guarantee. Allison was a good example of that.

They might not live to see tomorrow, and Malia wasn't someone to look too far into the future, so _whatever_ it was that was happening here between them now...she didn't want it to stop.

She just hoped that he felt the same way, but she was fairly certain he did, that he was only hesitating because he didn't know how she felt, didn't want to ruin their friendship because it was too important to him. But it was painfully obvious lately, the unspoken tension between them had been hovering for weeks now, almost palpable when it was just the two of them in a room together.

Just like now.

Shaking her head to escape her trailing thoughts, she raised her eyebrows at him, hoping he hadn't noticed her drift away for a moment. "And what about you? How's your shoulder?"

Scott shrugged, but she could tell how much it hurt when he did it, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "It's fine. It's healing."

She stared at him with a disbelieving look on her face, and he sighed, knowing that he could never get anything past her.

"It still hurts. But it'll be ok."

"Ok, it had better be," she nodded at him, before wrinkling her nose. They both smelled like blood and grime and death, and Malia couldn't stand it anymore. She wanted to get as far away from this awful night as possible.

As if reading her thoughts, Scott motioned towards his open bathroom door. "Why don't you take a shower first?"

She nodded in agreement at him. "Yeah, good idea." She turned, throwing her ruined brown jacket to the floor as she headed into the bathroom. She paused to look back at him in the doorway. "But not until I look at that shoulder first."

"Malia, it's fine," Scott groused, crossing his arms as if he could hide it from her, but she could tell from the way he moved that it was hurting _a lot_ more than he was letting on.

"Just let me see it," she continued determinedly, daring him to argue with her.

He sighed, already knowing he was fighting a losing battle when it came to this. "Malia, it's healing, I swear."

"And I get that, but I still want to see it," she raised her eyebrows at him in challenge, stubbornly standing there and waiting him out.

"Okay, okay, fine," he finally replied in defeat, and Malia gave him a victory smirk as he walked past her into the bathroom.

"Isn't easier when you just agree with me?" she couldn't hold back a chuckle. They both needed a laugh, honestly. Anything to get their minds off of everything else collapsing around them.

Scott shot her a look, but it was more amused than annoyed, no matter how serious he tried to be. "I just know when to pick my battles when it comes to you."

She grinned at him, unable to stop the stupid smile from spreading across her face. "Good. Now sit," she gestured to the closed toilet lid as she rummaged through the bathroom mirror where she knew he kept some medical supplies, "and take off your shirt."

She could feel Scott freeze at her words, at the inexplicable double meaning that hung between them, but she busied herself pretending to dig for alcohol and swabs, silently thankful that the angle of the open mirror hid her face from him for a moment.

Quickly collecting herself, she shut the mirror and turned back to face him, his tattered shirt off now, trying not to stare too hard at his broad chest or the way his arm muscles were flexing.

Funny, with all of the times she had seen him shirtless, and she wasn't blind, she had _always_ known Scott was attractive, but with the way things were changing between them now...it was taking all of her willpower not to throw herself into his lap right then and there.

She averted her eyes quickly, noticing that Scott was studying her a little too closely, as if trying to figure out why she was hesitating, and she moved behind him to look at his shoulder.

"Oh my God," she gasped when she saw the charred and ripped flesh on his back. She knew he had taken a direct hit, had seen him fall and then get right back up, but she hadn't known it was like _this_. "Scott, why didn't you tell me it was _this_ bad?"

"I know it looks bad, but it's healing," Scott looked back at her over his shoulder when he heard her sharp intake of breath. At her skeptical look, he quickly continued. "Really. I promise."

"Well, at least let's clean it out so it doesn't get infected or something," she muttered under her breath. "Maybe it will heal faster."

"Maybe," Scott echoed back at her, tensing himself for what was sure to be excruciating pain.

"Ok, are you ready?" she asked him, unable to hide the concern in her voice, and he gave her a short nod to go ahead. She hated seeing him in pain, and lately, that's _all_ she had seen him in.

And she wanted to fix it. Desperately.

He may be their Alpha and have the need to protect all of them, but Malia was having an overwhelming desire lately to protect _him._

"Ok, here it goes," she braced herself as she poured alcohol into the deep wound, dabbing gingerly at it with the swabs.

Scott grunted in pain, whole body stiffening and jaw clenching as he tried to ride it out.

"Almost done," Malia said apologetically, trying to work faster so that she didn't hurt him even more, forcing her hands to be more steady and sure than she really felt capable of.

He nodded stiffly, unable to answer, just gritting his teeth harder and gripping his hands into fists in determination to not cry out.

"There, it's done," she said finally with a deep exhale, standing back and examining her handiwork. The wound was still raw and jagged around the edges, but she could clearly see now his skin starting to repair itself.

She quickly set the supplies down on the edge of the sink before coming around to face him, kneeling down so that they were eye level.

"You okay?" she asked him with concern.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he nodded, still in obvious pain but relieved it was over. "Thanks."

"Here," she reached over and grabbed his hand in hers, black lines snaking up her arm. "This will help."

"Malia, no," he pulled his hand back. "You're in pain too," he motioned at her still healing leg. "Don't worry, I can take it."

"But you shouldn't have too," she all but rolled her eyes at him, snatching his hand back and trying to pull more of his pain. "Come on, Scott, you're way worse off than me, just let me help."

He held her gaze, and they stared at each other intently for a long moment, daring the other to argue more, before he finally relented. "Okay."

"Okay," she smiled grimly at him, taking some more of his pain until she felt he was at a reasonable level. Once the tension lines around his eyes relaxed, she let go, standing up and stretching as she tested out her injured leg.

"How's your leg?" he asked with concern, eyeing her carefully as she put more weight on it.

It was much better now. She hadn't even noticed, she had been so intent on helping Scott. "It's fine now, almost completely healed," she reassured him, waving it off. "It wasn't nearly as bad as your shoulder anyways."

He stood up too, carefully rotating his shoulder and examining her handiwork in the mirror. "Thank you. It feels a lot better. Seriously."

She shrugged, crossing her arms across her chest. "You'd do the same for me."

He turned back from the mirror, facing her with a serious look in his eyes that made her heart rate inadvertently speed up against her will, and she fought to slow it down before he noticed.

"I don't just mean my shoulder. I mean this, you, being here with me, right now," he gestured around, trying to find the right words. "It means a lot."

She nodded, taking a step forwards and closing the space between them. "I'm with you to the end of this thing, Scott. We all are, but you _know_ that."

"I do," he nodded slowly, reaching over and squeezing her hand in gratitude. "I couldn't do this without all of you guys." He paused for a moment, before continuing more softly, "without _you_."

Malia nodded, holding his gaze for a long moment, noticing how incredibly close they were standing now, their noses almost touching.

After a moment, he stepped back, seeming unsure if she wanted him in her space, to be that close to her.

Malia decided right then and there that she'd have to change that. This was the leaping off point for them, no turning back.

But it had never felt more right.

"So how about that shower?" she raised an eyebrow at him, a playful smile on her lips.

Scott chuckled, breaking the seriousness with a shake of his head. "I almost forgot. Here, let me get you a towel." He turned to the small linen closet tucked in the corner of the bathroom, pulling out a fluffy blue towel and handing it to her.

"I'll just, uh, be out here," he rocked back on his heels, still looking uncertain, as he started to head back out towards his bedroom.

It was now or never.

"Scott," she called after him, and he stopped, turning back around in the doorway with a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah?"

She walked purposefully towards him, stopping only inches away, want and need clear in her eyes.

"I don't want to shower alone."

Scott's eyes widened at her words, momentarily taken by surprise, as if he couldn't believe she was actually putting it out there, actually addressing the unspoken tension between them and _acting_ on it. He stood there, frozen in place for a moment, and she heard his pulse speed up dramatically.

Then his gaze softened, and he closed the space between them immediately. His eyes locked with hers as he studied her face carefully, trying to read what was there.

"Malia..." he trailed off, looking at for her confirmation, needing to know that this was what she really wanted. He reached over and gently tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

She nodded steadily at him in answer. "Yes."

Scott let out a deep breath, a thousand emotions swimming around in his eyes before he asked her again. "Are you sure?"

She took a step back, pulling her shirt over head and tossing it to the floor in one fell swoop, her eyes flashing blue.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Scott's eyes flashed red in response, and the next thing she knew, he pulled her tightly against his bare chest. Her heart started racing wildly with the way he was looking down at her. He cupped her face in both of his hands before his lips crashed against hers, as weeks and months of tension and feelings and mutual respect and maybe even love poured into that kiss.

Malia moaned as they kissed for the first time, loving the way his lips felt against hers, her skin lighting on fire as he moved his hands down her sides and gripped her bare waist, pulling her even tighter against him as their kisses deepened, getting more desperate with every passing second.

After a moment, he pulled back, their foreheads touching as they both tried to catch their breath. He gave her a long look, as if asking one more time if she really wanted this, if she really wanted _him_ , if she wanted to be with him like this.

There would be no going back, and they both knew it.

She unlatched her bra in one swift movement, tossing it to the floor, swiftly followed by her shorts and panties in answer.

The look of want and admiration as his eyes raked over her naked form was one she'd never seen from him before. Sure, he'd seen her naked plenty of times, the _whole_ pack had essentially, but she had always been very comfortable with her nudity and it was the only way to shift from full coyote and back, so she had never had any qualms about that. But Scott had always been nothing but respectful, always averting his eyes and never openly lusting after her.

Until now.

"You're beautiful," he breathed, sounding as though he had been holding that information in for a long time.

She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face at the absolute awe with which he was looking at her.

She pulled the shower curtain back, turning on the hot water. She quickly turned back to him, grabbing onto the waistband of his jeans and pulling him to her. Scott responded quickly, landing a searing kiss on her lips and groaning in anticipation as she popped open the button of his jeans and undid the zipper in record time.

"Off. Now," she muttered into their kiss, feeling him smile against her lips at her urgency.

He only stepped away for a moment, as both of their frantic hands dropped his pants and boxer briefs to the floor.

It was Malia's turn to look at him with admiration.

Scott McCall was perfect.

She didn't have time for any other coherent thoughts as he suddenly threw the curtain back and pulled her into the shower in his arms, pulling it hastily shut behind them.

The hot water cascaded down over them, and Malia closed her eyes, leaning back into the spray as Scott started kissing down her neck, sucking gently at the junction of her neck and shoulder before nipping her with his teeth.

She moaned at the sensation, running her hands up and down his muscled chest. He tilted her chin down and tipped her head back towards him, kissing her again for all he was worth. She reached her fingers up and ran them through his hair, pulling at the nape of his neck and making him moan into her mouth.

Malia opened her eyes, giving a soft smile at the way he was looking back at her as the steam rose all around them.

He cupped her cheek again gently, and she leaned into it, relishing in his touch.

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" Scott said softly, needing her to _know_ , needing to say the words aloud before this happened, and it was just so _Scott_ that Malia couldn't help the way her heart skipped. She smiled even wider in response, before landing another demanding kiss on his lips.

"I do," she replied in confirmation, because she really did _know_ , could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch. She held his gaze steadily. "But why don't you show me."

With that, she unabashedly ran her hands down his chest again and over his stomach, appreciating the feel of his hard abs underneath her hands. She kept her hands moving lower, further down until she wrapped her hands around him, loving how hard he already was.

For _her._

He groaned loudly at her touch as she moved her hand up and down his length, dropping his head on her shoulder and panting heavily.

Malia definitely wanted to hear him make that sound again, and she continued her ministrations, enjoying the feel of him under her hands.

Regaining his composure, Scott started kissing down her neck again, his hands gently caressing her body, running over her breasts and squeezing her pliant nipples between his fingers.

Malia threw her head back again under the water, making little gasping sounds of pleasure as he moved his head even lower, carefully taking one of her nipples between his teeth.

Scott hummed his approval at her reaction, mouth still burning against her skin, as his free hand moved down lower to finally reach the apex of her legs. Malia moved her legs farther apart to give him more access.

She couldn't hold back a loud moan as he gently touched her, his eyes flashing red again at how wet she already was, how bad she already wanted him. Testing the warm heat between her folds, he slowly put in one finger, and then another, moving them deeper while simultaneously reaching her clit with his thumb.

Malia gasped even louder, her eyes opening wide, panting heavy breaths as Scott moved his fingers even faster, curling up inside and making the world go sideways.

He couldn't hide the satisfied smile as he leaned up to kiss her again, moving away from her lips and down the side of her face and jaw.

"So beautiful," he murmured between kisses, hot breath against her skin. "So perfect."

Perfect was the _last_ way Malia thought anyone would ever describe her, she knew she was flawed and she knew she still had a lot to atone for. But under Scott's gaze, with the way he was touching her...

She could actually believe it.

"Scott," she panted against his cheek, his lips, his neck. " _Scott_..."

If she wasn't mistaken, he let out an audible growl at the way she was saying his name.

He continued to move his fingers inside of her, faster and faster, and she started to quiver at his touch, clenching down around his fingers. But she wanted him, to feel him _fully_ , and she couldn't wait for it anymore.

She moved her hands back up to his face, grasping him between her hands as she bit down on his lower lip, pulling it between her teeth.

That time he definitely growled in reaction to her, rumbling deep in his chest and turning Malia on more than she'd ever been in her life.

She had to have him. _Now._

"Need more," she whispered heavily against his mouth, looking at him with hooded eyes. "Need _you_."

Scott made an unintelligible noise deep in his throat, looking at her with want and understanding, needing her just as much as she needed him. Without another word, he carefully hoisted her up in one arm as if she was weightless, while bracing himself with his other arm against the shower wall and gently leaning her back against the cool tiles for leverage. She wrapped her long legs around his waist, belatedly noticing that her leg was completely healed now.

Their eyes met, and Malia could see how much he cared about her, how much she meant to him, and she wondered how she hadn't seen it before.

Or maybe she had, but she hadn't been willing to admit it to herself until now.

And then he was pushing into her, going slowly at first, letting her adjust to him bit by bit, inch by inch. Malia couldn't remember how to breathe as she took him in, wanting more and more as she strained against him. She moaned even louder this time, letting her forehead fall against his, never breaking eye contact.

If anyone could look at her the way that Scott was right now, then she could be happy for the rest of her life.

And then he was finally all of the way inside her, and it felt so good and full and _right_ that she couldn't imagine not ever being with Scott in this way again.

He slowly began to rock his hips against hers, moving in and out just a little at first and taking his time with her. Their hands and lips continued to explore each other's bodies, finding their rhythm.

She ground her hips back against him, taking him in even more, not even trying to hide the mewls of pleasure escaping her mouth at the way he felt, and not missing the grunts he made in return as he snapped his hips up even harder in response.

Then Malia pushed herself off of the wall a little bit more, and the new angle pushed him so deep inside of her she cried out at the sudden sensation, accidentally clawing his back as she clung to him.

"Malia..." Scott groaned against her neck, knees nearly buckling at how incredible the new angle felt as they moved. His teeth brushed her neck again as he picked up the speed, going faster now, deeper now, thrusting so far up into her that Malia was already seeing stars.

She kept moaning his name, over and over, until it became a litany of nonsensical words against his lips, his ear, his neck.

 _Scott Scott ScottScottScott..._

It was amazing, being with him like this. She didn't know if it was the deepness of their friendship or even the more basic instincts between his wolf and her coyote, but it had never quite felt this way with anyone before.

So connected, so in sync, so right.

He continued to push into her, faster and harder now, panting against her skin, kissing her so fervently as if he was making up for lost time.

It was perfect.

Malia was getting close, and she knew it, the familiar coil in the pit of her belly rising. She writhed in his arms, could feel him everywhere, and she couldn't get enough. She was on the precipice and about to fall over the edge, gasping for air as their bodies moved together.

Scott knew it too, could tell from her reactions and her cries as he pushed ever deeper inside of her that she was almost there.

He carefully reached one hand down while still balancing her against the shower wall, reaching down to stroke her clit between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. The added sensation was overwhelming, and she forgot how to breathe, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she trembled in his arms.

"I've got you," he whispered heavily against her ear then, knowing she was about to reach her high. "Malia...I've got you..."

That was all she needed to let go.

Malia came undone in his arms after that, clenching down hard around him as her orgasm overtook, crying out as the waves of pleasure washed over her, body shaking from the sheer force of it.

Incredible couldn't even describe how it felt.

She slowly came back to herself, still shaking in his arms, as he continued to ride her through the aftershocks.

Scott was right behind her, she could tell from the way his breath was hitching and his hips were stuttering against her that he was right on the edge, had been somehow holding on to make sure that she got there first.

She bit down on his earlobe, laving it with her tongue, her breath hot against his ear, and he fell apart with a loud moan as he finally came, pulsating deep inside. Malia momentarily heard claws scraping against the shower tile behind her.

For a few moments afterwards, they just stood there in the shower, still wrapped around each other under the warm spray of water, breathing heavily from the exertion and trying to get their bearings.

"Wow," Scott finally managed to say with a dazed grin on his face, looking sated and relaxed in a way she hadn't seen him in ages.

Malia couldn't hold back a short laugh of agreement at that, still catching her breath. "Yeah, _wow_ is right."

He pulled out and gently eased her down until her feet were firmly on the shower floor once again. He leaned down and gave her another long kiss, but this one was tender and sweet and full of promises that Malia hadn't known she'd wanted from him until now. He finally pulled back, and Malia didn't know how it was even possible to miss a person who was literally standing right in front of her.

Scott turned around, grabbing a washcloth from the side of the tub. "Maybe we should actually shower now," he laughed as he reached for the soap. Malia grinned and grabbed it out of his hands so swiftly that he didn't even have time to react, still half stoned from their tryst.

"Let me," she smirked, gesturing at him with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

"I definitely won't complain about that," he gave her a matching grin. She snatched the washcloth too and after it was soapy enough, she began to run it over his chest and neck, loving the way he leaned into her touch. His eyes were closed, enjoying every second of her hands on him.

After she was sure his front was thoroughly cleaned and she somehow kept herself from touching him in all the right places again because they _really_ did need to shower, she stepped back to admire her work.

"Ok, turn around," she ordered, and he chuckled at her bossiness as turned his back towards her like she demanded.

That's when she noticed it.

"Scott," she breathed in surprise, "your shoulder already healed." She reached her fingers up and gently fingered the area where the deep wound had been earlier that night. It was gone.

He nodded, turning back around to face her, gripping her hands in his. "I know. Thanks to you."

"Me?" Malia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I really don't think my terrible job of cleaning it out earlier did that much."

Scott shook his head, a warm smile on his face. "I don't mean that."

"Oh _really_ ," she gave him a wicked look as a sly smile crossed her face, referring to the other things she had just done to him.

"No, not just that either," Scott laughed throatily, taking the opportunity to kiss her once again. "Although _that_ definitely helped. Like really _really_ helped. Trust me."

"Oh, I know," Malia smirked, gesturing at the now closed wound on her forehead and her now healed leg. "Me too."

"Good," he kissed her again, relieved that she was okay. "And that was seriously amazing...but it was more than that. It was just you being here with me. For always being there with me."

She smiled at him again, hoping that he could tell how much he meant to her simply from the look she gave him. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Sometime later, after the bathroom was completely steam-filled and the water cold, they finally stumbled out of the shower and back into the bedroom, clean and tired and spent.

Wrapped in towels, a long silence fell between them, as they both took in this new change between them and tried to figure out what it meant.

Scott suddenly turned to face her, the towel still wrapped around his waist and a serious expression on his face.

"Malia," his eyes bored into hers, "are you okay with this?"

She looked back at him in confusion, pushing back a few strands of wet hair from her face. "Okay with what?"

"With this," Scott looked slightly worried now, as though maybe he'd misread her signals, as if he couldn't tell how she really felt. He gestured between them. "With us."

Malia couldn't keep her lips from quirking in amusement at that. Only Scott would care this much, be this worried about how _she_ felt, to make sure that she had really wanted this to happen, or if she was just seeking out any type of physical comfort for the night and would regret sleeping with him in the morning. "I thought it was pretty obvious."

Scott made a chagrined expression at her words. "Yeah, I just, I just wanted to make sure that..."

"Yes, I am," she cut him off quickly, already knowing where he was headed with this and wanting to make sure he knew the truth. "I'm more than okay with what just happened, Scott, I _wanted_ it to happen. So stop worrying, okay? I can smell it on you from here."

He nodded, frowning apologetically. "I know, I know, sorry. I'll stop." He turned away from her and headed to his dresser.

Then Malia realized that maybe he needed to _hear_ it, that she hadn't exactly told him in so many words, and maybe that's why he was still unsure how she really felt, that this wasn't just another casual hook up because she was so done with that.

"You mean a lot to me too," she blurted out suddenly, silently kicking herself for the completely embarrassing and unsmooth way the words just tumbled out of her mouth. He wheeled back around to face her, expectantly waiting for her to continue.

"Because, you know, I didn't say it back earlier," Malia plowed onwards with a deep exhale, "but you do, Scott. You mean a lot to me too."

The smile that spread across his face at her words was somewhere between relief and amusement, and Malia smiled back, a satisfied feeling settling in her chest at his expression.

"Happy now?" she shot back a little defensively at the big smile on his face, but there was a definite teasing in her tone.

He laughed, shaking his head at her, and it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. "Yes, very."

"Well good," she replied, adjusting the towel still wrapped around her body. "Then let's go to bed."

Scott nodded in agreement, and another short silence fell between them, but this time it was comfortable. Natural.

"You can wear one of my t-shirts if you want," he said a few minutes later over his shoulder as he opened one of his dresser drawers.

He threw on a pair of black boxer briefs and some grey sweatpants, rummaging through the next drawer to find something for her.

"I usually sleep naked," Malia shrugged nonchalantly, and Scott nearly choked at her words, turning back to look at her again with renewed heat in his eyes.

"Well, if you do that, we might not get any sleep tonight," his voice had a lower timbre to it again, one that made Malia tingle all over when she heard it.

She wasn't sure if it was because he was Scott or because he was an Alpha or maybe even _both_ , but she was entirely certain she wanted to keep having this affect on him, over and over again.

She sauntered over to him, landing a forceful kiss on his lips and smirking when he groaned in protest after she pulled away, pressing against his bare chest with one hand. "Good point...but we should probably get some sleep."

Scott sighed in agreement, although she knew her kiss had him debating otherwise now. "Yeah, it's been a long night."

He opened another drawer and handed her an oversized shirt to sleep in. She dropped her towel and threw it on over her naked body. The shirt hung down midway to her thigh, and she noticed the hungry way Scott was appraising her when she looked back up.

"What?" she asked him simply, faking innocence, but she already knew.

"Nothing," he muttered, his voice husky, his eyes narrowed at her, "I just really like you wearing one of my shirts."

Malia knew that was it, because she knew that animal side of him so well, of herself, and she knew his scent all over her was going to drive him crazy.

Before she knew it, he had crossed the room and pulled her to him, lips crashing against hers once again.

Malia reacted instantly, kissing him even deeper and pulling at the waistband of his sweatpants. She put her hands against his chest again, pushing him backwards until they both tumbled onto his bed, a tangled mess of lips and limbs everywhere.

The shirt didn't stay on long.

* * *

The next morning, Malia awoke with the sun streaming in through the window, feeling well-rested and warm and _safe._

It didn't take her long to figure out why as she cleared the sleep from her mind and slowly regained her bearings.

For the first time ever, she had slept with someone else wrapped around her, had actually _liked_ being the little spoon for once.

She looked over her shoulder with a soft smile to see Scott curled up behind her, still sound asleep, his breath warm on her shoulder. His arm was thrown over her, hugging her protectively to his chest even as he slept.

She turned very slowly onto her back and then onto her other side so she could be face to face with him, determined not to wake him. He was beyond exhausted and she knew he needed to rest. She couldn't help herself, gently carding her fingers through his sleep-tousled hair, unable to stop touching him now that they had finally crossed that line.

It was a testament to how tired he was when he didn't even stir at her movements.

She studied his face as he slept, so close to hers. He looked relaxed and peaceful and young, didn't look like the war-ridden boy he was, struggling to protect his pack and the people he loved against supernatural threats at every turn, feeling far too much responsibility on his young shoulders because he was the Alpha, and because he was Scott. Malia thought it was so unfair sometimes, because all of them had lost so much because of who and what they were, and sometimes she debated if going back to being a coyote would just be easier than staying in the hellstorm that was their lives.

But she knew now, laying safe and warm and protected in his arms, that she would never leave, _couldn't_ leave, because of Scott.

Because she loved him.

That striking realization washed over her, making her heart thud painfully in her chest for a moment. She had debated that possibility already, had wondered if maybe she loved him and if he loved her back, but in that moment laying there in his bed together, Malia was suddenly _sure_ of it.

Maybe she was more human than she had been giving herself credit for.

She was in love with Scott, totally and completely, and he needed to know.

And as opposite as they were in so many ways, where she was all fire and he was cool and calm, where she was too wild and he was too controlled...they somehow made perfect sense. Their differences pulled them together, simultaneously bringing these traits out in each other when they needed to and making each other better, balancing each other out in every way.

Malia smiled to herself, still watching him sleep and realizing that even though things were falling apart all around them right now, that this was their biggest battle by far, that their lives were all still in danger...

She hadn't felt this hopeful in a long time, that everything might actually be okay. Love was such a weird emotion like that, but Malia found that she didn't mind.

She just needed Scott to wake up so she could finally tell him.

* * *

 **So, do you guys want a Part 2?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, YOU GUYS. I don't even have the** _ **words**_ **for my shock at the amount of love this fic has gotten. Thank you SO much! Originally intended for this to be a one-shot but all of your amazing feedback has inspired me to add another chap (almost 11,000 words worth) to express my gratitude. Believe it or not, smut is wayyy out of my comfort zone (hurt/comfort and angst are my strong spots honestly), so getting such a response to a fic like this is** _ **everything**_ **. Thank you and sorry I couldn't thank you all individually, but know that each and every one of your reviews meant the world!**

 **Will have some vague references to the 6B plot that we've all seen in the trailers added with my imagination, although I'm sure it won't be canon after tomorrow. Potential spoilers I guess?**

 **And for those who asked, so sorry but I don't ship Thiam (honestly Theo deserves another punch in the face) but I totally respect your love for that ship. Currently I'm sailing away on the Scalia ship (with a little background Stydia) so that's what you'll find here. All aboard!**

 **Lastly, MAJOR shout-out to TheFlashFics94 and etherealmindss who both supported and encouraged and even beta'd parts of this fic. You da best! They are both amazing Scalia writers themselves so be sure to check out their fics too!**

 **6B tomorrow! Hope this holds off your Scalia needs until then.**

 **Fictional**

* * *

After a little while, Scott began to stir, blinking tiredly and burying his face deeper into Malia's shoulder.

She smirked, waiting for him to get his bearings and realize that she was still there in the bed with him.

Naked.

As if on cue, Scott's eyes opened a little wider, and he pulled his head back to lie face to face with her, noses almost touching across the pillows.

"Hi," Malia said to him with an amused raise of her eyebrows.

"Hi," he mumbled with a sleepy smile, his voice still full of sleep and husky, and something about it made her heart rate speed up.

"So I wasn't dreaming," he murmured as he looked back at her. "You're really here." He tightened his grip around her, pulling her tighter against his warm chest under the covers and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. His eyes closed again, as if he wasn't quite ready to wake up yet, but Malia was beyond impatient.

"Nuh uh, no way," she scolded him, shifting up on to her elbow and nuzzling against his cheek. "Time to get up, Scott. I've been waiting _forever_."

She could feel Scott smile from where her face was pressed up against the side of his. "You know you could have woken me up earlier."

Malia scoffed. "Yeah right, you needed your beauty sleep."

"Yeah, still do," he laughed at that, burying his face further into the pillow and shutting his eyes again. "Just a few more minutes."

"I'm not going to make it that easy," she grinned deviously, and she starting kissing down the side of his neck and jaw, nipping at the skin there and breathing hot against his skin.

 _That_ got the intended reaction.

Scott groaned, turning his face towards her now, eyes open and looking intently at her. "That's not even fair."

"Who said I play fair?" Malia shrugged, before nibbling at his ear lobe, blowing warm breath against his ear. "Come on, wake up."

"Okay, okay, I'm definitely awake now," he replied, shifting on to his back to look up at her. Malia didn't hesitate another moment, getting up on her knees and straddling him under the covers, hands pressed on his bare chest as she sat up over him.

The sheets fell down around her waist, revealing her naked upper body to him, and Scott's eyes went dark as he took her in, still not tired of seeing her this way.

Without hesitation, Malia leaned down and kissed him, moaning at the way he kissed her back, his hands tangling up in her bed tousled hair and pulling her down to his chest so that her breasts were pushed firmly up against him. Their kisses deepened, and she already felt an ache building, a longing to feel him thrusting between her legs again and again...

And from what she could feel from her precarious position straddling Scott's lap, he _definitely_ felt the same.

She pulled away after a moment as they both caught their breath, staring down at him.

Scott was breathing heavily as he looked up at her, already looking completely wrecked. "You're gonna be the death of me," he muttered with pure want in his eyes.

"Doesn't sound that bad," she quirked her lips at him, before grinding down with her hips against his growing hardness. Scott closed his eyes, groaning even louder, before he suddenly sat up in the bed with her still straddling his lap, landing a scorching kiss on her lips that took her breath away.

She pulled back after a moment and opened her eyes, and the both tender and lustful way he was looking back at her made her heart skip a beat.

 _I should tell him,_ Malia thought to herself, trying to get up the courage to tell him that she loved him because words and emotions were _not_ her strong suit, but Scott deserved this, deserved to know how much she really cared.

"Scott," she took a deep breath, determined not to mess this up, to at least get this part right when it came to him. He looked at her expectantly as he held her there against him in his lap. "Scott, I..." she looked away, gathering herself for a moment.

"Hey, Lia," he said softly, cupping her chin and turning her to look back at him, studying her face carefully. "What is it? Talk to me."

She gave him a soft smile. Scott was just so truly kind, and patient, especially when it came to her, and she was eternally grateful for that. Forgetting about her confession, she kissed him again, reaching around the back of his neck and pulling him closer to her, making him forget as well. Their kisses quickly became more desperate, and Malia belatedly thought that she could just tell him later after all.

And it was at that exact moment that his cell phone began ringing shrilly on the bedside table.

Scott groaned again, but this time it was in pure frustration as he broke their kiss to give a death stare towards the offending phone.

"Don't answer it," Malia protested breathlessly, grabbing his chin and turning his head back towards her to kiss him again.

Scott kissed her back briefly before sighing against her mouth as the phone kept ringing, pulling away from her again. "I don't want to, I _really_ don't want to, but it could be Argent, or Stiles..."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, answer it," Malia sighed in disappointment, knowing he was right. There was too much going on right now, and the pack needed him. She swung her leg over and climbed off of his lap, falling back down into the bed in a heap of tangled covers.

Scott jumped up quickly, bedsheet haphazardly wrapped around his waist, and went to answer it.

"Hey man, are you ok?" he answered as he finally grabbed the phone. "You sure? Ok, good. How's Lydia?"

Malia then immediately knew who it was, not to mention she could hear his voice coming over the line now with her enhanced hearing.

 _Stiles. Of_ course _it would be him._

Malia held back a growl of irritation at the interruption, because really she knew it wasn't Stiles' fault, hell he had no idea about the current change with her and Scott's relationship, but she couldn't help but feel a little bitter that his timing couldn't have been any worse.

"Ok, we'll meet you guys down there in a little bit," Scott replied to Stiles, before hesitantly looking over his shoulder at her before he continued. "Uh huh, we're fine. Oh yeah, she's here too. We, uh, didn't want to be alone last night. In case anything else happened."

Malia couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face at Scott's explanation to Stiles about why she was still at his house, that they were just staying together for protection.

Which was true in a way, but he conveniently left out the part about how they'd been having mind-blowing sex in the shower and in his bed in the meantime.

Feeling even more amused at the whole scenario, she got up out of the bed and walked over behind Scott, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She felt him tense up, looking back at her with a surprised look as Stiles kept telling him something on the other line. Malia choose to tune it out, her attention focused solely on Scott.

She started kissing down the back of his neck and then his shoulders, nipping and licking her way across his broad back.

Scott couldn't hold back a groan at her kisses, and Malia bit back a laugh as she very unsubtly dragged her claws down his back, just enough to mark his skin for a moment before the scratches quickly healed.

"Uh, what?" he was completely dazed now, not hearing anything that Stiles had just said over the phone. "Oh, nothing, remember how bad my shoulder was? It's still healing, just hurts a little bit. I'm uh, fine, totally fine."

Malia could barely hold back her laughter at Scott's rushed explanation into the phone for all the weird noises and completely unfocused way he was talking to him.

"Stiles, hey, I've gotta let you go," Scott quickly cut in, turning around in Malia's arms to face her, heat in his eyes. "Something's come up."

Something indeed.

He hung up quickly and chucked the phone behind him, and it landed somewhere in the laundry basket in the corner forgotten.

He leaned down, grabbing her face between both of his hands and kissing her hard. Malia moaned, already incredibly turned on. Somehow, she still hadn't gotten enough of him, and she wanted him again. And again.

She hastily pulled the sheet off from around his waist, leaving them both hungry and naked in the center of his room. Without hesitation, she forcefully pushed him backwards onto the bed, pushing him down into the mattress and straddling his hips once again.

Scott reached a hand down between them, rubbing against her with his fingers and feeling how wet she already was. His eyes flashed red inadverently, causing hers to flash blue in turn.

"Jesus, Malia," he muttered throatily as he looked back up at her, unable to find any other coherent words when he realized how much she already wanted him.

Malia was already beyond ready for him, she needed to feel him again, so with out any further preamble, she lifted herself up and settled over his erection, before slowly sinking down and taking him all the way to the hilt.

She gasped, leaning back and closing her eyes as she took him all in, her whole body thrumming with energy and heat. She opened her eyes again to look down at him completely at her mercy in the bed, looking up at her with such a mixture of want and admiration that Malia had truly never felt more beautiful in her life.

And then she moved.

She rocked her hips against him slowly at first, lifting herself up and down with one hand splayed on his chest for leverage. He groaned deeply underneath her, watching her move above him as if he'd never seen anything quite that breathtaking in his life, just drinking her all in. He moved his hands down, one steadying on the small of her back while the other reached for her incredibly sensitive bundle of nerves, and she cried out as he began to rub against her. She began to ride him even harder, sinking down onto him easily now and pushing him in deeper.

"Yes, _yes_ ," she encouraged him as he touched her more, moving up and down even faster now on top of him, head thrown back and eyes closed in pure bliss from the sensation.

A rumble sounded from deep in Scott's chest as he deftly moved his fingers against her, loving how she was reacting to him, at how good she felt around him.

Then he started to roll his hips up to meet hers, thrust for thrust, and Malia gasped out his name, eyes wide with how intense the new added movement was. He was reaching places inside of her that she didn't even know she had.

"Scott," she panted, grabbing his chest, his sides, his arms, his shoulders, anything she could hold onto, to grab on as he moved up into her," "Scott, more, _more_..."

He grunted at her words, looking determined now, moving his hands to grab her hips firmly on each side. Malia noticed his claws brush against her skin for a moment before he took a deep breath, reigning in his control, knowing that he was barely holding on at that point.

He picked up the pace then, and so did she, riding him so hard that she felt like she was about to come apart at the seams. Malia loved being on top, maybe it was part of her wild nature or being in control, but it turned out that Scott was just as much of an aggressor as she was, and that was making them a perfect match in bed.

Scott sat up suddenly, so that she sitting in his lap again, one hand braced behind him now to give him more leverage on the mattress as he pounded up in to her, snapping his hips in rhythm to her movements. His lips caressed her mouth, her neck, her breasts, his other hand brushing against her clit again and making the world spin deliciously.

" _Lia_ ," he groaned her name against her neck as she grabbed onto his shoulders firmly, bringing herself down even harder on him. "Tell me...tell me what you want..." He was panting even harder now, struggling to hold on for her, wanting to see her come apart around him first before he let go.

" _You_ ," she replied breathlessly, nearly impaling herself on him now, their hips moving so hard together, "you Scott, deeper, _please_..."

She didn't even think it was possible for him to get any deeper, the way he was pulsing up inside of her now, but she was so close, and she just wanted him, needed him even more...

Scott made a guttural noise deep in his throat at the way she begged him, and without another word he turned and quickly flipped them over so that he was on top, throwing her down into the bed, still inside of her the whole way.

"Say it again," he choked out hoarsely, eyes blazing as he looked at her writhing beneath him now, all flushed and desperate with need.

"You, Scott," Malia was breathless, heart pounding as she looked up at him. She had never been this submissive in bed before, and this was a first, but with Scott she wanted to be this way, realizing that it was okay to take turns in that department, and Scott had been nothing but very reciprocal during sex thus far. "I want _you..._ "

That did him in.

He hitched her legs up higher around his waist, bending her knees as far as she could go, before landing a bruising kiss on her lips.

And then he was moving again, pushing into her so hard, so fast, so _far_ , that Malia could only cry out nonsensical words, writhing underneath him, grabbing onto his back and shoulders and hanging on for dear life as he pounded the sense out of her, pounded her right down into the mattress. The whole bed shook with the force of their movements, but she couldn't focus on that, could only focus on him, how he felt as he moved inside of her.

It felt so good, so hard, _so_ intense, that Malia wasn't sure she could take it anymore, her body on overload from all of the sensations, feeling her toes curl up and her thighs clench, her breaths coming in short gasps as Scott turned her inside out.

And then her orgasm hit her, so intense and unexpected that she just called out his name, gasping for air as he continued to thrust above, biting down hard on his shoulder as she came.

Scott finished at the same time as her this time, his whole body shuddering above her with the force of it as he came deep inside of her.

He nearly collapsed on top of her afterwards, catching himself on his elbows and dropping his head into the crook of her neck, breathing heavily. Malia's chest was still heaving underneath him, sweat dripping off both of their bodies from the exertion.

Subconsciously, Malia reached her arms up and wrapped them around his shoulders, hugging him even closer to her even though they were both hot and sweaty and spent, their bodies sticking together. Scott didn't seem to mind it, nuzzling even deeper against her neck and cheek, laying a few lazy kisses against her overheated skin. They laid there for a few moments, not saying anything, not _needing_ too, just basking in the afterglow and coming back down to earth.

Finally, Scott pushed himself back up on his forearms, tenderly brushing back a strand of sweaty hair off of her forehead and kissing her deeply. She kissed him back, trying to pour everything she finally realized she felt for him into that kiss.

He slowly pulled away from their kiss, a truly happy and relaxed smile on his face, and Malia felt good that she could do that for him, because with everything happening in their lives lately there hadn't been a lot of time for him to be happy, and she wanted to give him that, at least.

This whole love thing or whatever was turning her into some kind of sap, but she didn't hate that notion as much as she once would have.

Scott started to move off of her, but Malia suddenly tightened her legs around his waist, pulling him back down and keeping him in place, keeping him inside of her for just a little bit longer.

He raised an eyebrow at her curiously, a smile still on his lips. "Malia?"

She shrugged her shoulders against the pillows, not really having an explanation other than just wanting him as close to her as possible for a little longer. "I don't know, I just," she fumbled for the words, "like being like this, with you."

He chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers in response. "Well, I like being like this with you too. _A lot_."

"I can tell," she smirked unashamedly, knowing exactly what kind of an affect she was having on him and loving every minute of it.

Scott grunted at her words, placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Malia couldn't hold back a laugh at that, eyes shining as she looked up at him. "Well, I have a pretty good idea." With that, she clenched down hard around him, feeling his half-hardness becoming hard again and nearly coming undone at the sound he made when she did it.

"Malia..." he warned, looking torn between wanting to take her again right then and there or to finally get out of bed. That's when Malia belatedly remembered the phone call with Stiles and that they were supposed to be _doing_ something, that everyone was waiting for them, and that's why Scott was hesitating now.

Malia was certain that she could easily change his mind if she moved against him like that again. But she knew this was important, that the pack needed their Alpha, and she acquiesced.

She leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth again, before pulling away. "Later. Promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Scott muttered against her lips, before reluctantly pulling out of her and collapsing to his side of the bed, still too spent to move quite yet.

She turned on her side to face him, as he laid sprawled on his back and trying to find his bearings. Malia was aware that she was smiling like an idiot now, but she didn't care, didn't even try to stop it when it turned into a giggle, and then slowly erupted up out of her throat into full blown laughter.

Scott turned his head to face her, an eyebrow raised in confusion at her reaction, at the uncontrollable way she was suddenly laughing now. "What?"

"Nothing," she snorted between laughter, "it's just this, us..."

Now he looked a little concerned, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Malia finally regained her composure, feeling light and airy in a way she had never really felt before, "if I had known that _this_ is what I was missing out on, that this is what you were holding back," she waved her hand in gesture at him, "then this probably would have happened _a lot_ sooner."

Which was only true to a point, because both of them had been in relationships with other people before, but maybe the last few months could have been so different if they had just realized their feelings sooner.

He laughed at that, shaking his head at her with an amused smile on his face. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, definitely," she mused, reaching a hand over to poke him playfully in the side. "But we can make up for it now."

"Definitely," Scott agreed, sitting up and leaning over to kiss her again.

"Deal," she smiled in agreement before reluctantly changing the subject."So, what's going on with everyone else?"

Scott sighed tiredly at that as he ran a hand through his hair, obviously having tried to forget about all of their problems for a brief while. "We need to meet everyone down at the clinic and figure out our next move. Liam and Derek are awake now, and Lydia and Stiles have been discharged from the hospital."

"I'm glad they're okay," Malia replied earnestly, because she really was, and she sat up in the bed to look over at him.

He nodded in agreement. "Me too. But this thing isn't over yet."

"I know," she reached over and squeezed his hand in encouargement. "But you've still got us, Scott. We're in this together."

He gave her a wry smile as he squeezed back. "I know, and that's how we're going to win this. Together."

"Exactly," she nodded firmly. Then she quirked an eyebrow at him, a mischievous smile crossing her face.

"Race you to the shower."

Malia bounded out of bed in one graceful leap, sprinting for the bathroom.

She didn't have to look to know Scott was right behind her.

* * *

"What the hell took you guys so long?" Stiles waved his hands around as Scott and Malia finally burst into the back door of the clinic, breathless from rushing inside.

They were _really_ late.

The whole pack was already there, minus Melissa, Mason, and Corey, who were still at the hospital working on mixing up some more of the Nine Herbs...just in case they needed them later.

And the Sheriff was still at the station, rallying a few officers that were in the supernatural know now and filling in Scott's dad on everything he'd missed. The FBI were involved now, with the amount of strange happenings and violence that had been rapidly escalating in Beacon Hills.

And there had been a lot.

There was still no sign of Parrish, Brett, Peter, or Theo, and it wasn't looking good.

Scott and Malia briefly glanced at each other before Scott addressed the rest of the pack, not wanting to out their new relationship status just yet. Malia understood, because with what was happening right now, it wasn't the right time to tell everyone.

"We were getting ready. Sorry we're late," Scott brushed it off, but they didn't miss the curious stares from the rest of the pack. Malia could feel Lydia's eyes boring holes into her, and she refused to make eye contact, looking anywhere else in the room then at her friend. She pretended not to see the way Stiles was looking back and forth at her and Scott as well, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

Scott ignored it too, turning to face Argent who had finally rejoined them from Gerard's army with intel. "So, what did you find out?"

* * *

"Scott, no way," Stiles shook his head in exasperation. "You can't tell me that you actually think this is a _good_ idea?"

"Stiles," Scott sighed heavily as he replied to him and everyone else in the room, "it's the best plan we have. And it's going to work."

"Yeah, and you and Derek might die in the process," Stiles looked back at the two werewolves incredulously.

"No, we won't," Derek crossed his arms firmly over his chest, leaning back against one of the glass cabinets in Deaton's back exam room. "The plan will work."

"Seriously I don't get you two sometimes and the constant martyrdom," Stiles grumbled, running a hand haphazardly down his face. He looked to the rest of the group for help. "Come on guys, you can't all think this is a good plan?"

"Sometimes," Deaton added helpfully, "the best strategy is to align yourself with an opposing force in order to alleviate a bigger problem, and use it to your advantage."

Stiles snorted. "Yeah, I feel like we've heard that one before, and I still don't like it." He turned to Lydia who was sitting in a chair behind him, still nursing her cracked ribs.

"Don't look at me," she shook her head at him as he made a noise of frustration. "This plan might actually be the best one we can come up with."

"Lydia, not helping," Stiles grumbled, turning back to the group. "So that's it then? We're just going to let Scott and Derek walk in there like easy prey into a compound full of deranged hunters, on the off chance that it might also lure in whatever the hell this skinless monster is that is feeding on everyone's fear and hope that they take each other out, or by some miracle hope that I can get my dad and Scott's dad and the rest of the FBI unit in there in time? We all agree that _that's_ a good plan?"

"I don't," Malia finally chimed in from where she was standing next to Scott, and she didn't miss the way he looked at her out of the corner of her eye as she spoke to the others. "I think it's a terrible plan."

"Thank you Malia," Stiles sighed in relief. "At least someone else here has some sense..."

"Which is why I think I should come with you guys," Malia continued, turning to finally meet the serious way Scott was looking at her. She knew he could sense the mix of anger and fear rolling off of her now, but she didn't care.

He was needlessly risking his life, yet again _,_ and Malia couldn't just stand by and watch.

Stiles groaned in frustration, nearly pulling his hair out. "I swear to God, you are all lost causes."

"Malia, you can't come with us," Argent interrupted from across the room.

"Why not?" she protested, looking around at all of them. "I'm a supernatural creature too, and they all want me dead just as much as Scott and Derek."

"And me," Liam chimed in suddenly from where he and Hayden were huddled together in the corner, taking it all in. "I'm a werewolf too, so if _they_ go, we should all go."

"Guys, that'll never work," Scott disagreed, shaking his head. "It can only be me and Derek." He looked at Malia again, but she could read something in his eyes now, almost like an apology for benching her in the final fight when he was walking straight into the center of it.

She gritted her teeth. "Liam and I should be there to help, as back-up! I don't understand."

"Because," Argent interrupted, stepping forward and placing his hands on the metal examination table between them. "Gerard will never believe that I was able to subdue or coerce _all_ of you when I deliver them to him. He needs to think I'm still loyal to him and that I've turned on all of you, but it has to be believable."

"Believable bait you mean," Stiles added in, frowning in disapproval.

Argent nodded slowly in confirmation. "It's the only way."

"And what about when your Mom finds out about his plan, huh?" Stiles turned back to Scott with a knowing look. "There's no way she'd be on board with this."

Scott actually flinched at his words, looking over at Argent first and then back to Stiles with a heavy sigh. "I know. Which is why you guys won't tell her until after Derek and I leave with Argent."

Stiles looked back and forth between Scott and Argent incredulously. "Don't you think Melissa just might have a little problem with the fact that you are taking her son into the literal center of battle as the distraction?" he directed at Argent.

Malia nodded in agreement. It was known that Melissa and Argent were together or something now, whatever it was, and it seemed unbelievable that he wouldn't tell Melissa his plan for Scott. "I'm pretty sure she's going to be pissed at both of you for not letting her in on the full plan. Or for even coming up with this plan, actually."

"As soon as I take Scott and Derek in, then you guys can tell Melissa," Argent sighed, sounding tired, as if he completely agreed with Stiles and Malia's doubts but knew there wasn't an alternative. "No need to worry her more until then. We need everyone focused if this plan is going to work, and for all of us to get out of this alive."

"That's just it," Malia growled, her eyes flashing blue for a moment with her increasing emotions. "There's no guarantee any of us will get out of this thing alive, especially when you guys," she gestured at Scott, Derek, and Argent, "are walking in there alone without the rest of us to help!"

"Malia," Scott tried to reach out to her, but she ignored him, too worked up now to back down, "it's okay. We're going to be fine, and you guys will all be waiting right outside for us for whatever happens next. It's going to take all of us, working together." He paused, looking at the rest of the pack seriously. "It's going to be the final fight, and we're going to need everyone, all of us, if we want to end this. But only Derek and I can set the trap with Argent."

"It still doesn't make any sense," Malia shook her head vehemently, barely holding back a snarl, as Stiles snorted in agreement. "We should all be going in there together, as a pack. It shouldn't just be the two of you!"

"It's because Gerard wants _us_ ," Derek added then, gesturing between himself and Scott in way of explanation. "Because I'm a Hale and because of how Scott tricked him."

"And because Scott's the Alpha," Liam added knowingly.

"But I'm a Hale, too," Malia protested again, not wanting for Scott and Derek to walk into this trap alone, because she just knew it wasn't going to end well. Maybe if she was at their side, they might have a fighting chance. "So why can't I go? Why won't you let me help?"

"Because," Scott reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze in another attempt to calm her, not going unnoticed by the rest of the pack, "this whole thing started with me and Derek."

Derek nodded stiffly. "And it's going to end with us."

* * *

Malia took a deep breath, splashing cold water on her face over the sink in the animal clinic bathroom. She looked up at herself in the mirror, sighing in disgust when she saw how distraught she looked.

"You're better than this," she grumbled at her reflection, taking a deep breath and trying to get a grip as she dried off her face, forcing her claws to retract.

Truth was, she was angry at Scott for being so stubborn and reckless, that he would be willing to walk into the middle of the fire and risk his life yet again. He was always too damn selfless and self-sacrificing, and Malia wished for once that he could just sit things out, just be protected and safe from the danger for once.

But she knew that would never happen, because he was the Alpha _and_ because he was Scott. He'd always be the one rushing headfirst into danger, if it meant protecting the people he loved and keeping innocent people from being hurt.

Malia hated it, but she understood it. It was just who Scott was.

And deep down, she knew she wasn't really angry at him, although she knew that's how it had come off when she'd just stormed out of the room, needing to escape for a moment before she lost it in front of everyone.

It wasn't because she was angry...it was because she was _afraid_.

Afraid of losing him.

A soft knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. "Malia, are you ok?"

Lydia.

Malia took a deep breath, centering herself before she swung open the bathroom door. Lydia stood there, one arm carefully wrapped around her side to support her busted ribs. Malia was half surprised Stiles had let her get that far on her own.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Malia tried to brush it off, but she could tell from the skeptical look Lydia was giving her that she wasn't buying any of it. Before she could question her more, Malia tried to change the subject. "What about you? Should you even be moving around like this? You should sit down."

"It's just a few cracked ribs, I'm not an invalid," Lydia shot back. "Besides, they've got me on some pretty great pain meds."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," Malia smiled at her genuinely.

"Yeah, I'll live," Lydia smiled back, before her smile quickly fell back into a serious look. "And don't think you're getting around the subject of you that easily. Nice try, though."

"I learned from the best," Malia snarked back, and Lydia gave her a wry smile.

"One of the more useful things I've taught you," she mused, "but you're still not a good enough liar. So what's going on with you?"

Malia shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Lydia stepped closer and entered the bathroom with her, closing the door behind them and lowering her voice in an attempt to keep several sets of super powered ears in the other room from overhearing, "what's going on with you and Scott?"

 _Crap_.

"Uh, nothing," Malia shot back a little too defensively, and Lydia didn't miss it.

"Come on, Malia," Lydia sighed with impatience. "It doesn't take a genius," she gestured at herself with a grin, "to see that's something going on with you two."

Malia swallowed thickly, before shaking her head again. "The only thing that's going on with me and Scott is that I think he and Derek are idiots for going along with Argent's plan." That much was true, and she was hoping that would be enough for Lydia.

No such luck.

"Yeah, it's incredibly dangerous, I agree with you there," Lydia nodded in agreement. "But it's also the best move we have right now."

She paused, raising an eyebrow at Malia. "You also know that's not what I meant. Something is different with you two. What happened?"

"Lydia," Malia tried again, because this thing with her and Scott was just too new, and they were all currently fighting for their lives and everyone really needed to focus on _that_ right now, "nothing happened. Scott and I are fine."

"Hmmm," Lydia was studying her a little too carefully now, and Malia was silently thankful she couldn't hear her racing heartbeat, "and yet you two came in here with this new energy between you, and don't think I didn't notice those stolen glances and silent conversations you two were having in front of all of us. Not to mention how upset you are with him right now."

"You're being ridiculous," Malia huffed, attempting to roll her eyes in a convincing way, when suddenly Lydia froze, her eyes growing wide as the realization hit her.

"Oh my God," she breathed, looking back at Malia, dropping her voice even lower, "you slept with him, didn't you?"

Malia couldn't hide the dumbfounded look on her face, and that's all the confirmation Lydia needed.

"Of _course_ that's it, that makes so much sense," she let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "You slept with Scott."

"Keep it down," Malia hissed, grabbing her arm gently and leaning in closer. "We don't want...we don't want the others to know yet."

"What, that you two had sex or that you two are together now?" Lydia couldn't hide the knowing smirk on her face, and Malia frowned at her amusement.

"Either," she shot back in a loud whisper. "This isn't really the right time, you know since we're all currently being _hunted,_ and all that."

Lydia nodded, patting Malia's arm in understanding. "Yeah, probably not the best timing, I'll give you that." She paused, a devious grin crossing her face.

"So, when did it happen?"

"Lydia," Malia groaned, putting her head in her hands, "I am not talking about this with you right now."

"Oh, come on," Lydia mock pouted at her, "I am in desperate need of a change of subject from something other than death and FBI inner workings. So tell me."

Malia frowned, crossing her arms across her chest, the words escaping her mouth defensively before she really even thought about them. "I don't ask about you and Stiles."

Lydia actually had the decency to look appalled and a little bit taken aback at her words. She furrowed her eyebrows in irritation. "I didn't think you'd _want_ me to tell you about that."

"You're right, I _don't_ ," Malia shot back, "and I don't want to talk about me and Scott right now, ok?"

Lydia's expression softened, and she almost looked a little regretful when she looked back at her. "Malia, I'm sorry if Stiles and I getting together hurt you. I never wanted that, neither of us did."

Malia did know, and Stiles had already told her the same, and she was so far past it now that she couldn't help but be surprised that they had still thought she might have a problem with it, but then again she didn't always make her feelings that obvious.

"Lydia," her voice was gentler now, "I'm happy for you and Stiles. Seriously. I've been over him for a while. You are both two of my closest friends, and I'm just glad you make each other happy."

Lydia nodded, studying her face carefully. "And looking at you and Scott, that's exactly how I feel, Malia. Two of my best friends finding each other, and making each other happy. You deserve a guy like Scott, and you're good for him."

"Thanks," Malia smiled brightly then, not really knowing what else to say, just grateful that Lydia understood, and that they were both okay with how things were now.

Lydia broke into a wide smile back, the tension now gone between them. "So now that that's settled...tell me, when did you guys..."

"LYDIA," Malia sighed heavily, but she knew that it was all coming from a good place, that Lydia just wanted to support this new thing between them, so she finally relented. "Fine, fine. Last night, after the fight in the preserve."

"Wow, so this is really new," Lydia gave her a victory smirk. "But come to mention it, Stiles did say after he talked to Scott that you were still over at his house, so things must have gone well."

Malia replied with a knowing smile. "Oh yeah, you could say that."

Lydia laughed at that. "Obviously." She paused for a moment, as another realization hit her. "Wait a second...is _that_ why you guys were late this morning?"

Malia just shrugged, but the cake-eating grin on her face said it all.

"Oh my God," Lydia chuckled, shaking her head. "At least tell me that it was in the shower so you guys were trying to get here."

Malia snorted at that, giving her a devious look. "Which time?"

"Oh, wow," Lydia gave her a congratulatory grin. "You two really are perfect for each other."

Then she paused, frowning a little when she realized something else.

"And that's why you're so upset with him now," Lydia looked at her. "Because you're afraid he won't come back from this tonight, when you finally realized how much you two mean to each other."

Malia ducked her head, unable to look at her friend, trying to hide her emotions. "I'm not just mad Lydia...I'm terrified." She looked back up at her miserably. "I can't believe I'm being this weak."

"Sweetie," Lydia grabbed her hand and squeezed, "you're not. Love doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong."

Malia gave her a long look. "Who said anything about love?"

Lydia just gave her a knowing smile. "It's obvious you two love each other, even if you don't know it yet."

Sometimes Malia hated how smart and observant Lydia was, but as usual, she was completely right. "Are you always such a know-it-all?"

Lydia laughed, tilting her head. "Only when I need to be."

"Thanks, I guess," Malia gave her a wry smile, squeezing her hand back before she dropped it.

"Malia, you need to talk to Scott," Lydia continued, arching a knowing eyebrow at her. "You need to tell him how you feel."

"No, I can't," Malia shook her head vehemently. "Not like this. Not when I'm such a mess."

"Malia," Lydia started to argue with her, but just then, a knock on the door startled them both.

"Malia? Lydia? Everything ok?"

Scott.

Lydia gave Malia a knowing wink, and before she could stop her, she turned and swung open the door.

"Hey Scott," she beamed a little too brightly at him, "everything's fine, just catching up. She's all yours."

Scott made a confused face as he looked back and forth between them. "Okay..."

"I better go sit down, you know these ribs and all," Lydia smirked, looking between both of them. Malia could have killed her in that moment.

"Do you need any help?" he offered, obviously knowing he'd walked in on something and desperately wanting out of it.

"No, I'm good," she waved him off. "I'm going to go find Stiles, you two should talk." With that, she moved slowly away towards where the rest of the pack was, leaving them all alone with a heavy silence between them.

After a moment, Scott turned to Malia standing in the bathroom doorway with a furrowed brow. "What was that all about?"

Malia snorted. "They've got her on some really good drugs."

Scott nodded, then suddenly froze, turning back to her.

"She knows, doesn't she," he gestured between them.

"I didn't tell her," she answered quickly, "she just sort of figured it out. Whole genius thing, I guess."

Scott sighed. "Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised. I should also probably tell Stiles."

Malia narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"Because," Scott looked slightly uncomfortable now, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "he's my best friend, Malia, and you two were together before..."

"So what?" she shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "We're both over it now, and he's with Lydia, and I'm glad they're together. We're all friends, so why should it matter?"

He sighed again, looking back up at her. "I know. It's just, it would just probably be best if he hears it from me first."

"Well fine, why don't you go tell him then?" she groused in irritation, but it wasn't about Stiles anymore, not even close. And Scott knew it.

"Malia," he gave her a concerned look now, stepping closer to her. "What's really going on?"

"Nothing," she answered shortly, brushing him off as she tried to push down her emotions, failing miserably. "Just go, okay? Go finish talking out that brilliant plan of yours with everyone."

He shook his head, studying her closely. "Malia, tell me what's wrong. Are you mad at me?"

She shrugged noncommittally, her face hardening, because she couldn't be weak in front of him right now, couldn't let him know how terrified she was that he was hand delivering himself to Gerard's army in a few short hours, because she was sure she would break.

"No. I just think you and Derek are idiots."

Scott frowned heavily, before stepping into the bathroom with her and shutting the door behind him.

"Malia," his voice was softer now, his eyes searching hers, "you know this is what we have to do."

"No, Scott," her eyes flashed angrily now, because it was safer to be angry than afraid, easier to let him see her rage instead of being vulnerable, "I _don't_ know. All I know is that you think that putting your life on the line is the only way to win this war, but you're just being selfish!"

Scott was startled by her outburst, looking at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. "I'm doing this to try to save everyone, to end this thing, the only way I know how. And yes, it's dangerous, but doing nothing is more dangerous, because they won't stop until all of us are dead if we don't fight back. We can't run from this, Malia."

"We have to," he paused, gathering his thoughts, " _I_ have to do something. I have to end this."

"And what if," she shook her head, whole body vibrating with anger now, "what if you die because of this Scott, huh? Did you think about that?"

He flinched at her words, quiet for a long moment before he replied. "I know it's a risk, but if it saves all of you, then it's a chance I'm willing to take."

"I don't know how you can even say that," Malia growled at him. "Did you even think about what it would do to all of us if you died, Scott? We've already come too close to that too many times!"

The unspoken _Nemeton_ and _Theo_ rang in the room between them.

"Malia, I'm sorry..." Scott started to apologize, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Did you even think about what losing you would do to me?" Her voice cracked to her own horror, and she turned away, unable to look at him anymore.

He was by her side in an instant, grabbing her shoulders gently and forcing her to look back at him.

"Malia," he tried again softly, and he was totally unprepared for the devastated look she gave him when she lifted her head again.

"Scott, you have to understand," her voice was quieter now, and full of fear that she could no longer hide from him, "I've already lost so many people in my life, and I can't just sit here watching someone I love put their life in danger and not be able to do anything about it. I'm not _strong_ enough."

Scott was quiet for a long moment, just staring at her, and Malia found herself getting angry again at his prolonged silence. "Well? Say something."

A soft smile crossed his face. "You love me?"

Malia froze, realizing what she had just said.

 _Oops_.

She blinked at him. "Uh..."

"Malia," he stepped closer, searching her eyes, cupping her face gently in his hand as he asked her again. "Do you love me?"

She was quiet for a long moment, looking back at him before she decided to take the plunge. She nodded slowly as she finally replied.

"Yeah, Scott, I do. I love you."

He grabbed her face and kissed her then, long and full on the lips. She sighed into the kiss, kissing him back just as enthusiastically.

He finally pulled back, touching their foreheads together and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Malia. I love you too."

She couldn't help the stupid grin that crept onto her face at that. She had suspected that maybe he did, but it felt good to hear him say the words out loud. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Scott smiled back at her. "I have for a while. I just didn't think you were ready to hear it yet."

Malia gave him a long look. "I'm ready, Scott." With that, she put her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down, kissing him hard and long this time. Their kiss quickly became deeper, and more frantic, the heightened emotions between them spurring their desperation.

She reached up and grabbed for buttons on his shirt, tearing at them.

"Malia," Scott groaned as she hastily pulled open his shirt and ran her hands over his now bare chest, only half-heartedly trying to get her attention, "...here?"

She nodded, biting his lower lip and making him groan again as she pulled back. "You're walking straight to Gerard and his minions in a few hours, and we don't know what's going to happen. And I'm not going to let you leave without," she paused, surprising herself with the amount of emotion running through her now, "remembering what you've got to come back to."

He nodded, holding her gaze, and she could see the words in his eyes before he even said it. "Trust me, I won't forget."

She smiled at him, landing another heated kiss on his lips. "Then let's not waste anymore time." She grabbed for the button of his jeans and quickly undid it, her hands brushing against his growing hardness and eliciting another desperate sound from him.

She raised her eyebrows at him mischievously. "Think you can keep it down?"

He nodded, breathing heavily at her touch, before he replied, his words making her thighs clench at the unspoken promise. "Can you?"

She responded by kissing him deeply again, pulling him backwards with her until her back hit against the cement bathroom wall. His hands went to her shorts as they continued kissing, ripping them open so quickly that her button flew off and rolled across the floor.

"Sorry," he grunted against her mouth, but he didn't seem apologetic in the least as he dropped her shorts and underwear to the floor in one quick motion, kicking them carelessly to the side.

She huffed in mock outrage. "Guess you better make it up to me then," she whispered heavily against his ear.

She heard his breath hitch at her words, his whole body thrumming with want and need for her. He pulled her roughly against him, and picked her up, holding her back firmly against the bathroom wall. She wrapped her legs around him yet again, perfectly reminiscent of their first time together.

She hastily pulled down the top of his jeans and boxer briefs, wrapping her hands around his hardness and placing him at her entrance, already soaking wet and ready to feel him again.

He paused, holding her gaze steadily as he lined himself up against her, their eyes communicating a thousand things between them that they didn't need to say. They both knew.

And then he was sliding into her, further and further until he was all the way in, still holding her up against the wall.

It was different this time, between them. Their feelings had been voiced out loud and there was imminent danger coming for them in a few short hours, and neither of them knew who would survive and who might not come back.

And of course there was the fact they actually had to be quiet because all of their friends, some with supernatural hearing, were still in the other room.

Scott started to move slowly at first, stifling a groan by burying his face in her still clothed shoulder. In their haste, they had both left their shirts on, although Scott's was wide open and unbuttoned thanks to Malia's handiwork.

" _Quiet_ ," she whispered with a grin as he continued to thrust into her, his breath hot and desperate against her shoulder and neck as he tried to control himself, tried to stay silent.

His head snapped up to look at her, and she swallowed thickly at the simultaneously lustful and playful look in his eyes. He adjusted her up in his arms a little bit higher, changing the angle and hitting her in _exactly_ the right spot, making her clench around him unexpectedly.

She let out a moan at the sensation, but Scott's lips were suddenly on hers again, his kiss swallowing the desperate noises she was making. He pulled back, looking at her with a devious smile.

"Quiet," he whispered back, and Malia could have smacked him for the smug look on his face. She was about to reply with a sharp retort when he suddenly picked up the pace, his grip on her hips tightening so that she was wedged firmly between him and the wall, her legs bent even further around his waist.

" _Oh_ ," she gasped as he somehow hit that spot over and _over_ again, was somehow at the exact right angle that she was almost to orgasm already, wiggling in his arms in desperation.

It was amazing, how connected they were, not just in this way but in other ways too. The deepness of their friendship, the years of trust and respect between them, were now finally culminating in a way neither of them had expected, but yet seemed so natural it wasn't all that surprising, either.

"Scott..." she breathed as he pushed deeper, unable to keep his name from spilling desperately from her lips.

"Shhh," Scott's mouth was against hers again, trying to keep her from getting too loud, and it was obvious he was loving every minute of her struggle. She also knew he was barely keeping it together himself, and she decided to up the ante.

She leaned over and bit down hard on his ear, moaning quietly so that only he could hear. At the same time, she extended her claws, running her hands down the front of his exposed chest, drawing her claws down hard against the smooth skin of his chest and stomach, leaving slowly healing marks along the way.

 _That_ worked.

Scott nearly came undone, a guttural noise somewhere between a groan and a growl rising from his throat. His hold suddenly laxed on her, nearly dropping her to the floor before he quickly recovered.

Malia smirked haughtily, quickly pushing her lips against his in order to stifle the noise. "Too loud..." she panted against his mouth, and the wrecked look he gave her said it all.

And then, he was thrusting faster, pounding into her now, not caring anymore if the others could hear, moving so hard and purposefully that it took all of Malia's willpower not to cry out, biting down on her tongue and clenching her eyes tightly closed in every last effort to keep it together, her gasps getting louder despite her attempts to stay quiet.

"Come on, Lia," he was whispering in her ear then, against her lips, barely holding on himself now, "just let go..."

And she did, coming hard around him as the waves of bliss washed over her, Scott kissing her hard through it and muffling her moans again as she clenched down around him, shaking in his arms, her legs nearly losing their grip on his waist.

A few more hard thrusts and Scott was right behind her, burying his face against her neck and biting down in an effort to keep himself quiet. Malia almost came again when she felt his teeth scrape against her, leaning her head against him as his movements slowed, his tight grip on her lessening as he slowly regained his senses.

He lifted his head, looking at her in such a way that Malia could really get used to seeing. He kissed her again, softly this time, and she kissed him back, knowing she could never grow tired of his lips on her.

He pulled out of her slowly and set her on the ground carefully, both of their legs as weak as jello now. He smiled at her as he pulled his jeans back up and buttoned them, before slowly working on his shirt buttons. Malia smiled back as she found her shorts and panties in a pile and went to retrieve them.

As soon as she was redressed, frowning at her now loose shorts from the broken button, she turned to see Scott standing right next to her again. She had been so lost in her own head in the afterglow that she hadn't even heard him sneak up on her, silently kicking herself for letting her guard down.

But when it came to Scott, she realized that she could let her guard down with him, that she wanted to.

He smiled so genuinely at her that it hurt, reaching for her hand and squeezing their fingers together. "So," he hesitated slightly as he gave her a hopeful look, a hint of laughter in his voice, "does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

Malia snorted at him, unable to keep the grin off of her face. "Yeah, yeah I guess."

Then she frowned, her face growing more serious. "But you guys had better come back from this." She paused, looking up at the ceiling, her voice trembling a little bit against her will as she spoke. "I mean it Scott. You have to come back to me."

He pulled her against him again, wrapping his arms around her and looking deep into her eyes. His voice was heavy and quiet when he spoke."I will, Malia. I promise, I'll come back to you after this whole thing. Do you trust me?"

"I do trust you," she replied quietly, "I trust you more than anyone. Which is why I'm going to trust you to know what you're doing."

Scott broke into a wry smile at that. "I never know what I'm doing." He paused at the pained look she gave him at that before he quickly continued. "But with all of you having my back, I know that everything will be okay. We are going to be okay, Malia. You just have to believe that."

And the thing was, when Scott said something like that, she did believe it. "Yeah, okay, fine," she smiled at him again, and he gave her a relieved look before he kissed her again, the heaviness between them now gone, and the mutual trust for each other still there.

"Good," he pulled back from their kiss with a knowing smile. "Well, as much as I hate to say it, we should probably go rejoin everybody," he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, probably," Malia gave him a mischievous smile. "So, uh, do you think the others heard us?"

Scott laughed, shaking his head. "I hope not, but honestly I don't care if they did." He leaned in and kissed her cheek, before whispering in her ear. "Because that was _amazing_."

Malia let out a short laugh as he pulled back, nodding in agreement. "Yes, yes it was."

They smiled stupidly at each other for another moment before Malia finally motioned with her head at the door. "I'll go out first, then you wait minute and follow."

Scott nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Malia kissed him one more time before opening the door, peaking her head out into the hallway before stepping out, closing the door behind her.

It looked like the coast was clear, and she could still hear voices coming from the other room where everyone else was. She started heading in that direction when she suddenly froze, wheeling back around in the hallway and marching towards the storage room right next to the bathroom.

"How long have you been standing there?" she growled into the open doorway of the storage room, glowering as a slightly terrified Liam poked his head out into the hallway.

"Oh, not long!" he stammered, looking at her with wide eyes. "I didn't know you guys were in there," he gestured helplessly at the bathroom door.

"Liam," she stepped towards him now, and he automatically shrunk back at her intimidating presence, "how much did you hear?"

He threw his hands up in a placating manner. "Nothing, at all! I didn't hear anything."

"Liam," Malia tried again impatiently, showing him her fangs.

"Okay, okay, I heard a little, alright?" he answered quickly. "But I wasn't spying on you guys, I swear! I just really had to pee."

"Liam," she stepped towards him, and he subconsciously took a step back from her, "how much did you really hear?"

"I, uh, just a little," he tried to explain, looking panicked now, but then Malia stepped forwards again and he sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay, fine, I heard the whole thing." The younger werewolf couldn't meet her gaze anymore, looking down at the floor as his face turned a spectacular shade of pink.

Malia sighed, shaking her head at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Liam nodded slowly, still unable to look her in the eye. "I wish I wasn't. I'm never going to be able to unhear you and Scott..."

She growled again, effectively cutting his sentence off. He glanced back up at her, still looking a cross between nervous and incredibly embarrassed, and Malia almost felt bad for him. "Sorry! I didn't mean to listen in on you guys, seriously."

Malia sighed again, crossing her arms and pulling back her fangs. "Okay, okay, fine." She stepped forwards and pointed a finger in his face. "But not a word of this to anyone else, got it?"

"Yeah, promise!" Liam shot back, nodding his head quickly. "Not a word, I swear."

Then he paused, raising an eyebrow at her curiously, looking a little more brave as he asked. "So, are you and Scott like together now or something?"

"Yeah, we are," Scott suddenly swung open the bathroom door to join them, stepping forwards and wrapping his arm around Malia's shoulders protectively. She turned to give him a small smile before they turned back to look at Liam.

"Oh, wow, that's great," Liam nodded with wide eyes, taking this new development in. "I'm, uh, really happy for you guys."

"Thanks," Scott gave him a reassuring smile back. "But for now, I need you to just keep this between us, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, totally, whatever you guys want," Liam agreed quickly. "And believe me when I say I am so, _so_ sorry that I overheard you guys..."

Scott held up a hand to stop him, looking slightly chagrined, as Malia tried to stifle a laugh. "No, Liam, it's okay, really..."

"Like, I wasn't even trying to hear _that_ ," Liam babbled on, looking completely flustered now, desperately trying to make sure Scott understood.

"Liam, it's fine," Scott tried to stop him again, but Liam was on a roll now, his embarrassment making the apology pour of him.

"But I think even without werewolf hearing I would have heard you guys..."

"Liam, no, please stop apologizing..."

"And I tried to walk away but when I realized what was happening..."

"Seriously, Liam..."

"And then I realized it was you guys, in there, together, and I sort of panicked..."

"Uh, okay, Liam, just..."

"So I didn't know what else to do, because I couldn't just go back in front of everyone else with a straight face, so I just ran into the storage room you know, and I really _really_ tried not to overhear, but you guys were so..."

"Liam!" Scott finally raised his voice in exasperation, and Liam snapped his head up to look at him, looking completely flustered and an even deeper shade of red now.

"Dude, Scott, Malia, I am so sorry. Like beyond sorry," he flushed, looking between the both of them uncomfortably.

Malia actually laughed out loud now, unable to hide her amusement at Liam's expense. She wasn't ashamed of anything that had just happened with her and Scott, and Liam was like their annoying little brother sometimes, so she was finding the whole situation beyond funny.

"Liam," Scott sighed, actually looked pained now, "don't worry about it alright? Seriously, it's okay. We're not mad."

"Oh okay, good, that's good," Liam nodded, letting out a sigh of relief, glad his Alpha didn't want to strangle him after this.

"Yeah," Scott nodded, a look somewhere between pained and amused now crossing his face. "But remember, just keep this between us for now, okay?"

"Yeah, totally," Liam nodded vehemently in agreement. After a moment, he paused, looking back at them both curiously. "But, uh, why don't you want anyone else to know? I mean, this is good news, isn't it?

Scott sighed, pulling Malia closer against his side. "It's just not the right time, when we're going to war for our lives. We all need to win this fight first, and then we can focus on the good stuff."

"Yeah, guess that makes sense," The younger werewolf nodded slowly, understanding Scott's reasoning. He looked at them a long moment before he continued. "But wouldn't it be better to give everyone something good to focus on in the middle of everything being so bad?"

Scott looked carefully at Malia at his side before looking back at Liam. "Maybe, but we just didn't think..."

"Scott," Malia interrupted him, and he quickly turned his head back to look at her, "as much as I may hate to admit this, he's right."

"I am?" Liam's eyes widened in surprise at her words.

"Are you okay with that?" Scott asked her seriously. "I thought maybe it was too soon to tell everyone, especially right now, with everything that's happening."

"It could be," Malia shrugged, "but I think it's pretty obvious to them how we feel about each other, plus half of them already know," she smirked, meaning Lydia and now Liam. "Maybe it's better if we just tell them now."

"Yeah, okay, then we'll tell them," Scott smiled at her in agreement, squeezing her shoulders again.

"Cool," Liam interrupted then, and they both turned back to look at him, a stupid grin on his face. "I mean, it's cool about you guys, being together now. Like it totally makes sense."

"Liam," Malia raised her eyebrows in a warning look, but there was no heat behind her words, only amusement.

"Yeah, okay, shutting up now," he threw his hands up in apology.

"Okay, well why don't we go back and talk to everyone," Scott chuckled at him, "and then what do you guys say we go out there and finish this thing?"

Malia gave a fierce look as she turned towards him. "Yeah, all of this ends tonight."

"Well, let's go get the others then," Liam motioned at them with renewed determination, turning around and heading back towards the other room where everyone else still was.

Scott removed his arm from Malia's shoulders,and they held each other's gaze for a long moment in the hallway before he spoke again.

"Ready?" he asked her seriously. There were multiple meanings behind his words.

She gave him a short nod, knowing that as long as she had Scott by her side, she'd be ready for anything.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Planning to end this here a little open-ended. Who knows, I may be inspired to write more Scalia fic in the future once 6B starts...and because of all of your amazing encouragement! THANK YOU ALL.**

 **Enjoy the premiere tomorrow! Scalia rise!**


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